Reviews
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A Dance of Cloaks by David Dalglish : Review
Thren Felhorn is the greatest assassin of his time. Marshalling the thieves’ guilds under his control, he declares war against the Trifect, an allegiance of wealthy and powerful nobles. Aaron Felhorn has been…
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The Treasury of the Fantastic edited by David Sandner and Jacob Weisman : Review
The fantastic, the supernatural, the poetic, and the macabre entwine in this incomparable culmination of storytelling. Imaginative stories of wit and intelligence weave through vivid landscapes that are alternately wondrous and terrifying.…
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Review: William Shakespeare’s Star Wars: The Empire Striketh Back, by Ian Doescher
The saga that began with the interstellar best seller William Shakespeare’s Star Wars continues with this merry reimagining of George Lucas’s enduring classic The Empire Strikes Back. Many a fortnight have passed since the destruction of…
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Writing "Flawed" Characters
Rule number one of writing a character: that character must have flaws. It’s probably the most basic fact of writing, and yet is very easy for a poor or inexperienced writer to get…
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Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed
Saladin Ahmed’s Throne of the Crescent Moon is his debut novel and the first of the Crescent Moon Kingdoms trilogy. Its very title declares its departure from the usual Euro-centric fantasy. We read…
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The Polaris Whisperer by Kenneth Gregory : Review
It is a dark time. For decades Hakon the Black, the most feared Norse Lord of the ninth century, has conducted bloody and gruesome raids throughout Europe, and laid his claim upon the…
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Prince Thief by David Tallerman : Review
(This is the 3rd book in a series. My review for book two, Crown Thief can be found here.) Altapasaeda, capital of the Castoval, is about to be besieged by its own king –…
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Review: What the Faeries Left Behind, by Amber Michelle Cook
After coming home from a monotonous office job to the apartment where she lives alone, thirty-something Abigail Watson is having a tough day in a hard week in a rotten month, and don’t…
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The Boleyn King by Laura Anderson : Review
Just seventeen years old, Henry IX, known as William, is a king bound by the restraints of the regency yet anxious to prove himself. With the French threatening battle and the Catholics sowing…
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Review: Castle Waiting, by Linda Medley
Castle Waiting is a fairy tale graphic novel that’s not about rescuing the princess, saving the kingdom, or fighting the ultimate war between Good and Evil, but about being a hero in your…
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Review: Heroes of the Valley, by Jonathan Stroud
Halli Sveinsson has grown up in the House of Svein, hearing the legends of the heroes as all his forefathers did. But in this now-peaceful society, Halli has always been a misfit. Stumpy…
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Review: The Woodcutter, by Kate Danley
Deep within the Wood, a young woman lies dead. Not a mark on her body. No trace of her murderer. Only her chipped glass slippers hint at her identity. The Woodcutter, keeper of…
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Emperor of Thorns by Mark Lawrence
The path to the throne is broken – only the broken may walk it. *** To reach the throne requires that a man journey. Even a path paved with good intentions can lead…
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Review: William Shakespeare’s Star Wars, by Ian Doescher
May the verse be with you! Return once more to a galaxy far, far away with this sublime retelling of George Lucas’s epic Star Wars in the style of the immortal Bard of Avon. The…
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Review: The Oathbreaker’s Shadow, by Amy McCulloch
“My word and my life are yours. This is my absolute vow.” In the land of Darhan promises are bound by magic, tied into knots, and worn with pride. Those who break them…
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Witch Wraith by Terry Brooks : Review
For centuries the Four Lands enjoyed freedom from its demon-haunted past, protected by magic-enhanced borders from the dark dimension known as the Forbidding and the profound evil imprisoned there. But now the unthinkable…